I love collaborating with bold, thoughtful people who are serious about making a difference in people’s lives, and in the systems around them.

I’m Patrin, and through my consultancy, think/feel/change, I work with mission-driven teams – especially in philanthropy, nonprofits, and creative fields – to think through complex questions and decide what to do next, so they can take meaningful action toward a just and thriving world.

I’ve been part of brilliant teams doing meaningful work, and we'd sometimes feel stuck. Not because we didn’t care, but because it was hard to pause.

Through think/feel/change, I help teams create space to reflect, make sense of complexity, and move forward. That might mean surfacing what you do best, sharpening your strategy, learning from others, putting structure around messy questions, or seeing the system within which you're working.

No matter the work, my goal is the same: to help teams move from stuck to strategic, from questions to clarity.

What led me here

Audience at a side session at the C40 Mayors' Summit in Copenhagen in 2019, seated in a wooden-beamed hall, listening intently. A man stands near the front holding a baby, adding warmth and everyday life to the scene.
Bridging urban design, clean air, and early childhood, at the C40 Mayors' Summit in Copenhagen in 2019. Co-curated with the Van Leer Foundation, Gehl, Google, and Clean Air Fund. Our audience represented cities, corporations, NGOs, funders... and babyhood.

I’ve always wanted to do good in the world. As a kid, I planned to become a pediatrician, until I realized, late in high school, that I liked sleep a bit too much to make it through medical training. After a year (and actually, many late nights) as editor-in-chief of our school paper, I started to think that shaping and communicating ideas might be my part to play.

That instinct has carried me through two decades of work across issues, sectors, and geographies – turning insight into strategy, learning, communication, and action.

Over the years, I’ve written, researched, strategized, created tools and frameworks, facilitated, convened, made grants, and led teams.

I've been lucky to work in a range of settings and issues: a biomass energy start-up in Bangkok, a financial services consultancy in New York, a corporate sustainability think tank and advisory firm and a social change communications agency in London, and a global early childhood foundation in The Hague, where I led a team to discover and share great policy and practice ideas to help cities and institutions better support babies, toddlers, and caregivers.

I’ve held roles from junior analyst to board chair, and learned from brilliant colleagues all along the way.

And I've never lost my desire to make a difference – nor my fascination with the ideas, words, and tools that resonate across sectors and move people from insight to action.

A small selection of work I'm proud to have contributed to:
— Funding and co-authoring research on sustainability certifications selected for Cambridge University’s sustainability master’s reading list.
— Pitching and placing a story on co-operative business models in the Financial Times.
— Developing Urban95, an award-winning initiative that brought early childhood into urban policy, planning and design.
— Persuading the board of an early childhood foundation to approve its first environmental investment in its 75-year history.
— Designing gatherings connecting people across movements–from sustainable food systems to cities where families can thrive.

Lately, I’ve been drawn to work that’s more grounded. I’m increasingly excited about community-led change and people power, and I’m working to do more of this in both my paid and volunteer work. In my new home in the north of England, I’m a proud trustee of Futureproof Cumbria and volunteer with Anti Racist Cumbria, learning as I go from brilliant local organizers and neighbors.

I’m lucky to have loved my work for 20+ years. But two of my most joyful work experiences were back in the late 1990s: doing data entry at LOOT, the classified ads paper, where every shift came with a free neck, shoulder, and back massage; and running “Frozen Philosophy,” a summer discussion circle for teenagers on life’s big questions, fueled by freezy pops. 🍡

Where I'm coming from

Children and adults playing in a natural pool under tall trees and dappled shade in a tropical forest in Khao Yai, Thailand.
Working on the Van Leer Foundation's Urban95 initiative taught me about the power of public space. This natural forest pool attracts families and friends from far and wide in Khao Yai, Thailand, 2025.

A mix of cultures and places shapes how I work. I’m Thai American with a dash of British. I grew up outside Washington, DC, now live in rural northern England with my family, and return regularly to Bangkok.

These different geographies and identities have shaped how I see the world and the systems we all live in. They’ve also given me a deeply felt awareness of the lottery of birth — and a commitment to helping build systems where everyone can thrive.

Beyond lots of time with family and friends, I love books, cities, museums, (slow) trail running, and YouTube karaoke.

Let’s connect

If any of this resonates, I’d love to hear what you’re working on — whether you’re looking for a collaborator, a thought partner, or just someone to trade ideas with. Do get in touch: patrin(at)thinkfeelchange(dot)org

Woman in tie-dye t-shirt with Anti Racist Cumbria slogan, standing in a trail above a blue lake amidst green bracken.
On a journey, literally and figuratively, with the amazing Anti Racist Cumbria. Ullswater Way, Lake District, UK, 2024. Photo by Katy Murray.